1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to lubrication of bullets for muzzle-loading rifles and, more particularly, is concerned with a bullet lubricator device being operable to effectively apply a lubricating grease around a bullet without soiling the hands and rifle of the user.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With respect to muzzle-loading rifles, it is well known that greater accuracy and range can be achieved on a consistent basis if the lead bullet to be fired has been lubricated prior to loading. Lubricating the bullet with a suitable grease, such as mink oil, also resists build-up of lead from the bullet in the spiral grooves or rifling of the barrel due to metal-to-metal contact between the lead bullet and the bore of the metal rifle barrel. Lead build-up in the rifle barrel will subsequently interfere with the firing of bullets.
Typically, a muzzle loading rifle bullet is in the form of a solid body having an overall cylindrical configuration with a conical forward nose section. The solid bullet body has a circumferential, axially-interrupted, bearing surface provided by a forward band, a middle band and a rearward base being spaced-apart and defined on the exterior of the body with forward and rearward annular channels formed therebetween. The forward bearing band is ordinarily several thousandths of an inch larger than the bore diameter of the rifle barrel and is graved to the barrel rifling upon loading into the barrel bore so that the bullet will rotate as it travels down the bore upon firing. On the other hand, the middle band and the base of the bullet are ordinarily a thousandth of an inch less than the bore diameter. The annular forward and rearward channels are provided to receive and hold the lubricating grease.
When the muzzle-loading rifle is fired, the powder charge located upstream of the bullet ignites and forces the bullet at its base in the forward direction down the barrel bore which causes compression of the bullet's overall length and thereby expansion and upsetting of the lead metal of the base and middle band of the bullet outwardly and forwardly into the grease-holding channels. The lubricating grease in the channels is then forced radially outward to provide proper lubrication of the exterior bearing surface of the bullet as it is fired from the rifle barrel.
Filling the annular channels of the bullet with lubricating grease by using one's bare hands is a messy operation and, during cold weather, is uncomfortable also. Furthermore, an uneven or insufficient amount of grease is oftentimes applied. A variety of different devices have been proposed in the prior art to obviate the necessity to use one's bare hands. Representative of the prior patent art are the devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. to Nelson (4,254,572), Holt (4,353,282), Fowler (4,384,424), Knosky (4,393,613), Brinton, Sr. (4,414,770), Eisenhuth (4,434,571) and Leding (4,533,019). While many devices of the prior art would appear to operate reasonably well and generally achieve their objectives under the limited range of operating conditions for which they were designed, most seem to embody shortcomings which make them less than an optimum device for effectively applying lubricating grease to the bullet. One shortcoming is that a separate storage container is required to be used with many of the devices to supply the lubricating grease needed each time a bullet is to be lubricated. Another shortcoming is that most of the devices cannot be closed or sealed against contamination by dirt and other foreign matter, especially during periods of nonuse. Still another shortcoming is that in many of the devices the grease can flow to places on the device where it will be exposed to and thus soil the hands and clothes of the user if not wiped off after each use.
Consequently, a need still exists for a bullet lubricator device which is easy to set up and use, can be used with gloves on the user's hands, is relatively simple in construction and operation, is sealed against contamination by dirt and other foreign matter, and minimizes the possibility of soiling one's hands and clothes and the rifle.